


Made my heart come all undone

by tailoredshirt



Series: Made my heart come all undone [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Chromatic Character, Cunnilingus, Drama, F/M, Falling In Love, Family, Humor, Moving In Together, Oral Sex, Pregnancy, Pregnant Sex, Romance, Sexual Content, Unplanned Pregnancy, Woman on Top, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-04
Updated: 2011-10-04
Packaged: 2017-10-24 07:39:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/260769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tailoredshirt/pseuds/tailoredshirt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Kono gets pregnant and Danny falls in love, twice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Made my heart come all undone

  
**Title:** Made my heart come all undone  
 **Pairing:** Danny/Kono  
 **Rating/content:** NC-17 for sex; spoilers through 2x02  
 **Warning:** job-related injury to a pregnant woman  
 **Word count:** ~14k  
 **A/N:** Title from a Beach Boys song. Many many thanks to [](http://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=finduilas_clln)[**finduilas_clln**](http://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=finduilas_clln) and [](http://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=zolac_no_miko)[**zolac_no_miko**](http://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=zolac_no_miko) for answering my dumb questions and to [](http://delicatale.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**delicatale**](http://delicatale.dreamwidth.org/) , [](http://gryffindorj.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**gryffindorj**](http://gryffindorj.dreamwidth.org/) , and [](http://shes-gone.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**shes_gone**](http://shes-gone.dreamwidth.org/) for all of their help and encouragement. ♥

*****

Of course she tells him when they're in pursuit of an armed suspect, racing towards North Shore at ninety miles an hour.

"I need to talk to you."

"Now?"

"I'm pregnant."

"Oh, shit!" says Danny, when they zoom around a red convertible, nearly clipping its side mirror.

Kono looks over at him, worried. "Are you angry?"

Danny tightens his grip on the door handle. "Babe, I am a lot of things right now, but I am mostly concerned with not getting killed in a high-speed collision."

Kono punches the gas, zooming around a flatbed truck. "I'm only a month along, I think. I took three tests to be sure. They were all positive."

"Okay, maybe I should just close my eyes. No, that just makes it worse."

"It was that night after we went to Deep End, remember? And you were kind of drunk."

"Shit, that was--wait, what? I wasn't _drunk_."

"You'd had a few beers," says Kono.

"And so had you, if I recall correctly!" says Danny, hands waving. "You were definitely feeling pretty good when we got back to your place."

"You were the one that forgot the condom."

"I did not _forget_ anything," says Danny, gripping the door handle when another car nearly swings into their lane. "I remembered the condom just fine, I just didn't _have_ one. You were the one that said it didn't matter, it was fine, it wasn't that time of the month so it's not like you were going to get _pregnant_ or anything." He shakes his head and looks out the window. " _Fuck_."

Kono is staring straight ahead, her fingers tightening around the steering wheel. After a moment she says, "It's definitely yours. I mean, I haven't, with anyone else. Not since we started..."

Danny wasn't going to ask, but after everything with Rachel he figures she probably wants to put it out there. He nods mutely.

"I'm going to keep it."

Danny's knuckles turn white as he grips the handle even tighter, his heart lodged in his throat. "Okay."

"We don't have to get married or anything," she says. "We don't even have to stay together. I'll raise it on my own."

" _What_?" says Danny, looking over at her. "Is that what you want?"

"Is that what _you_ want?"

"No!"

"Okay," she says, sounding way too calm.

Up ahead, HPD has set up a roadblock with spikes on the road. The car they're chasing tries to go around it but ends up hitting a tree. Kono pulls over onto the shoulder and cuts the engine.

There's a moment of silence before Danny says, "I definitely wasn't drunk."

*****

They've been sleeping together for less than four months, and no one on the team knows. Sometimes Danny thinks that Steve suspects, but he hasn't said anything. Danny feels kind of bad for not telling him, but he's never been in a situation like this before, dating a co-worker, and he doesn't know if telling Steve will be like telling his boss or his best friend.

Danny and Kono don't have a chance to talk for the rest of the day, and every time he tries to pull her aside she tells him she's busy and they'll talk later. After work, she slips out without saying anything to him and doesn't pick up her phone when he tries calling, so he decides to give her some space. He invites Steve out for drinks and buys the first round.

"So, uh, Kono and I..."

Steve's lips curl into a smile around the mouth of his beer. Danny rolls his eyes.

"Okay, how long have you known?"

"Uh, about four months."

"We've only been seeing each other for three and a half."

"Well, I'm a pretty perceptive guy."

"Uh huh." Danny pops a peanut into his mouth. "So, you're not, you know, worried about--"

"Nah," says Steve. "It doesn't seem like it's affecting your work."

Danny nods. "Well, it's about to be affecting our work. Her work anyway." Steve looks over at him. "She's pregnant."

Steve just looks at him for a minute before he says, "Wow."

"Yeah."

Steve takes a minute to process this. "So what are you guys gonna do?"

"She wants to keep it," says Danny. "And I do too."

Steve nods. "That's pretty huge."

"Tell me about it."

"You gonna move in together?"

"I don't know," says Danny, rubbing his eyes. "We haven't really gotten that far yet. When we talked about it, I was too busy trying not to throw up. Because of her driving, I mean, not the baby. I'm excited about the baby. I think. God, a _baby_." It's starting to hit him now, that this is really happening. That at this time next year he'll have another kid, with someone other than Rachel, and fuck, maybe he will throw up after all.

Steve must notice the panic setting in because he claps Danny on the back. "So, you and Kono. What's that like?"

Danny sighs and rubs a hand over his jaw. "I don't know, really. I mean, it's not that serious, or at least it _wasn't_. We've just been...you know."

Steve nods and signals the bartender for another round of beers.

"But we don't really talk about it, so I'm not sure what she's thinking," says Danny. If he's honest, it had surprised him a bit when she'd said that she hadn't been with anyone else since they started sleeping together. He hasn't been with anyone else either, but they've never asked one another for exclusivity. He's thought about asking her sometimes, but he's never gotten out the words. Danny doesn't do casual relationships very well, never has, but he's never been sure if Kono wanted that with him.

Danny looks up to see Steve watching him. "What?"

Steve smiles, fond. "You're gonna be a great dad, Danny. You're already a great dad."

Danny snorts. "Did I tell you Grace wants to go to Princeton? I don't know how the hell I'll be able to afford it if they both want to go. Maybe they can get scholarships."

"A surfing scholarship," says Steve, and Danny makes a face.

"Maybe our boss could give us a raise."

"Or maybe you can get a second job," Steve suggests. "I think Kamekona is hiring."

"Next round is definitely on you."

*****

By the time Danny gets to Kono's apartment, it's nearly eight o'clock.

"I tried calling you," he says when she opens the door. "And texting."

Kono crosses one arm over her chest and looks away. "Yeah, sorry, I just needed some time to think."

Danny nods. "Can I come in?"

Kono steps aside, and Danny walks into the living room. The apartment is tiny, smaller than the first place he got after he graduated from college. He sits on the sofa and she takes a seat in a chair across from him.

"I talked to Steve."

Kono looks up sharply. "Did you tell him?"

"Yes."

Kono scoffs. "Gee, thanks."

"What? You weren't talking to me this afternoon. You weren't answering any of my calls. I wanted to talk to someone, and he's my best friend, okay."

"Yeah, and he's my _boss_!" says Kono.

"He was going to find out eventually."

"And you didn't think that maybe I'd like to be the one to tell him?" she says, anger flashing in her eyes. "This isn't going to affect your job, but it's definitely going to affect mine."

Danny sighs. "I'm sorry. You're right, I should have let you tell him."

Kono deflates a bit. She lets out a deep breath, shoulders slumping forward, and Danny notices for the first time how truly tired she looks. "Hey," he says, and she looks up at him. "Hey."

Kono shakes her head. "I didn't want this," she says quietly.

"I know." Danny stands from the couch and walks over to her, and she scoots over enough that he can wedge himself into the seat next to her. "I know," he says, wrapping an arm around her.

"It was my fault," she says. "That night. I was stupid."

"I was stupid too," says Danny. He kisses her on the forehead.

She looks up at him, eyes worried. "I meant what I said earlier. In the car."

"Are you kidding?" says Danny. "I'm not letting you raise this kid by yourself. Someone has to teach 'em how to make a proper pizza, and I know it's not going to be you. You'll probably want to put something disgusting on it, like raw tuna or something."

Kono lets out a watery laugh. "I would never ruin perfectly good poke with pizza sauce."

"I'll pretend you didn't just say that."

Kono rolls her eyes, and Danny presses a quick kiss to her lips. When she doesn't push him away, he cups her cheek in his hand and kisses her again, a little deeper this time. She tangles a hand in his shirt and stops breathing for a second when he skims a hand over her belly.

"It's going to be okay," he tells her.

Kono sighs and leans against his shoulder. "Yeah."

*****

They decide to move in together. It makes the most sense, for a lot of reasons, and it's not like either of them are particularly attached to their apartments. They spend a month arguing about it and finally find a nice two-bedroom apartment down the street from Kono's old place.

The first night in the new place, they tiptoe around one another like new college roommates. Kono is so polite it's unnerving. Danny unpacks the dishes and silverware and asks about four hundred times whether she prefers the coffee mugs above the sink or the microwave. Kono apologizes for hanging a picture of Grace without asking him first. They spend so long trying to decide what to order for dinner that by the time it arrives Danny's so nervous he isn't even hungry anymore. Because somewhere in all of this moving in business, he forgot to ask where he's going to sleep.

Kono's old bed is in the master bedroom, and Danny bought a twin-size bed frame for the guest bedroom so that Grace wouldn't have to sleep on the couch when she stayed over. As the night goes on and Kono starts yawning, Danny starts panicking. Does she expect him to sleep in her bed or take the guest room? They haven't slept together since they found out about the pregnancy, and sleeping in her bed feels like a gigantic presumption on his part.

"I'm going to bed," she tells him, ducking her head into the guest bedroom, where he's plugging in a lamp for the nightstand. She's wearing a pair of boxer shorts that might be his but he can't tell.

"Okay, I'm just going to..." He trails off and then gestures at the lamp, although he's not really sure why. Kono glances at the lamp and then back up at him.

"Okay," she says. A moment later, he can hear her brushing her teeth in the master bathroom.

He stares at the lamp for a long time, thinking, and finally decides to err on the side of caution and sleep in the guest room. He makes the bed with his old sheets, brushes his teeth in the half bath across the hall, and climbs into bed.

He's just drifting off to sleep when his blanket is pulled away from him and he looks up to see Kono, wearing nothing but a tiny black camisole, straddling his hips.

"In seven months, we're going to have a baby," she says, looking down at him.

"Uh," says Danny.

"I'm not going to walk on eggshells for seven months, and I'm definitely not going seven months without having sex."

"Oh," Danny says when she reaches up and tugs the camisole over her head. He's hard pretty much immediately, his hands sliding up over her bare thighs, and she leans down so that her hair is brushing his chest.

"You don't seriously want to sleep in here, do you?"

He smooths a hand over her chest, brushing his thumb over a nipple, and god she's so gorgeous and he's missed touching her so much. She tugs on the waistband of his boxer shorts until his cock springs free, then sinks down onto him without preamble.

She must have been waiting for him for a while because she's wet and slippery around him, and Danny groans deep in his throat when she rolls her hips over his, taking him deeper. He touches her everywhere he can, sliding his hands over her hips and along her side and between her breasts. He skims his palm over her stomach, pausing at her lower abdomen, and she looks down at him with hooded eyes.

"You're so beautiful," Danny breathes. He presses his thumb between their bodies to massage her clit, and she falls apart quickly after that, not even bothering to be quiet when she comes, shuddering above him in broken waves. He follows quickly, her thighs still trembling under his hands as he empties himself inside of her.

Both of them are still panting as Kono climbs off of him and lies down next to him on the bed.

"To answer your question," says Danny, "no, I really don't want to sleep in here."

"You're kind of an idiot sometimes," Kono says, turning away from him to lie on her side. "I hope the baby doesn't get that from you."

Danny presses himself against her back and slides his hand over her stomach. "As long as it gets my hair."

"What's wrong with _my_ hair?"

"Nothing, it's beautiful, but _come on_..."

He can practically hear her eyes rolling. "And here I was worried about college tuition when I should have been worrying about how we're going to afford all that hair gel."

"Also, my cooking skills," says Danny, "because let's be honest, you can barely boil wa-- _ow_."

The next day Danny puts Hannah Montana bed sheets on the guest bed and moves his toothbrush into the master bathroom.

*****

Here's the thing: Kono is a slob.

"Uh, which pile needs to be washed?" says Danny, looking at the two chairs in their bedroom, both covered in shorts and t-shirts and bikinis.

"Neither," says Kono. She plucks a t-shirt and a pair of underwear from the pile. "These need to be washed." She picks up another t-shirt and sniffs it. "I only wore this for a couple of hours yesterday. It's fine."

Danny is familiar with the sniff test but he hasn't used it much since college. "Okay."

She also doesn't do the dishes much. Danny's no domestic goddess, he'll let them go overnight more often than not, but he thinks Kono would forget about them for a week if given the chance. He figures it's because she used to order take-out so much that she rarely had to do dishes at all. Now they're trying to save money, so Danny cooks almost every night.

So Danny's a bit non-plussed to find that his shoes are a problem.

"Oh my god!" she exclaims after she trips over the loafers he kicked off next to the coach. "This is like the third time I've tripped over these today. Are you doing this on purpose?"

"Are you serious?" says Danny. "I found a bikini top between the couch cushions yesterday!"

"Did you trip over it and nearly break your neck?"

"Yeah, those are expensive," says Danny, when Kono flings the shoes into the bedroom, where one of them hits a wall. "But don't worry, I'm sure they're fine."

On the plus side, Kono wakes him up for sex at least twice a week, and Danny figures it's a fair trade.

*****

One night they're both sitting on the couch watching football when an SPCA commercial comes on. Danny fumbles for the remote to change the channel but it's too late.

" _Fuck_ ," says Kono, wiping tears from her cheeks. She swats Danny's hand away when he tries to touch her leg. "I never used to cry at these things."

"It's okay," says Danny. "Sarah McLachlan is like Pavlov's bell for pregnant women. And Hallmark commercials, and Kodak commercials. And Jif commercials - you know, the ones where moms make peanut butter sandwiches for their kids? Except now they have one for dads too, which is nice. My sister Julie, when she was pregnant with her son, she used to cry at Budweiser commercials. I have no idea why." He glances over at Kono to find her staring at him, tears still sliding down her cheeks.

Danny clears his throat. "Jets are gonna take it all this year, I'm callin' it right now."

"You wish," says Kono, wiping her eyes.

*****

A few nights after they move in, Danny's taking a shower when Kono comes in to brush her teeth.

"Do you remember where I put my luggage?" she asks.

"Hang on," says Danny. He finishes rinsing the shampoo out of his hair, shuts off the water, and opens the shower door. "Sorry, what?"

"My luggage," says Kono. mouth full of toothpaste. She spits into the sink. "Is it in the closet in the guest bedroom or the living room?"

"Guest bedroom," says Danny, wrapping a towel around his waist. "Why, you going on vacation?"

"To North Shore," says Kono. "Kili invited me to stay at her place for the weekend. I haven't seen her in a while."

"This weekend?" says Danny, and Kono nods. "I have Grace this weekend."

"I know," says Kono. "That's why I'm going, so I won't be in the way."

"In the way?" says Danny, raising his eyebrows. "Why would you think you'd be in the way?"

Kono looks up, surprised. "I don't know...I thought you'd want to spend time alone with her." She pauses, searching his face. "You don't mind if I'm there?"

"Of course I don't mind," says Danny. "I want you to be there if you do."

"Oh." Kono nods. "Okay. I'll tell Kili I can't go."

"If you've already made plans--"

"I'll text her right now."

"Okay," he says, and Kono smiles.

*****

A few weeks after they move in together, Danny wakes to find Kono's side of the bed empty. He goes into the bathroom to see if she's been sick, but she's not anywhere in the apartment. He assumes she went to work out or get breakfast, but as it gets closer and closer to the time when they'd usually be leaving for work Danny becomes a little concerned. He tries calling her on her cell, but she doesn't pick up.

He tries not to panic, but his brain keeps feeding him worst case scenarios, most of them involving gruesome car accidents and kidnappings. He goes into the office without her and tries calling her again, but she still doesn't pick up. He's about to see about triangulating her cell phone signal when Kono and Lori walk through the glass doors. Kono's hair is wet and slicked back into a ponytail.

"Jesus Christ," says Danny. "Where have you been?"

Kono furrows her brow in confusion. "I felt good when I woke up this morning so I texted Lori to see if she wanted to do some sparring. What's wrong?"

" _Sparring_?"

"Um, I'll just..." Lori ducks into her office and shuts the door.

"We did sparring games with just our hands," says Kono. "To keep my reflexes sharp. She knows I'm pregnant, she didn't..." She looks at him. "What's wrong?"

"I thought you'd been kidnapped by Wo Fat!" Danny blurts.

Kono's eyes widen. " _What_?"

"I tried calling you on your cell. You didn't pick up."

"I had my phone on silent at the gym," says Kono, frowning at Danny. "Why would you think I'd been kidnapped?"

"You didn't tell me you were going to work out," says Danny, and he doesn't mean for it to sound like an accusation, or maybe he does. He's not really sure. "You just left without saying anything. I kept waiting for you to come back but you didn't show."

"What, did you think I was cheating on you or something?" Kono asks in a hushed tone.

The word 'cheating' comes as something of a relief to Danny, who hadn't managed to find a non-douchey way of asking if she still wanted to see other people. "No, I didn't--I didn't think that. But you didn't tell me where you were going so I was worried!"

Kono huffs derisively and goes into her office. "Sorry, I didn't realize I needed to check in with you first."

Danny follows her into the office. "Did you not even consider that I might be a _little_ concerned when I wake up and you're not there?"

"I've lived on my own for years," she says, starting her computer. "Somehow I've managed to take care of myself just fine without you."

Danny just looks at her. "Kono, we live together now. You're pregnant. I'm going to be worried when I can't get ahold of you!"

"Hey, I have an idea," Kono says cheerfully. "Why don't we just implant one of those microchips? You know, the kind people get for their dogs? That way if I wander off somewhere and get myself kidnapped, you can come rescue me."

"Forget it," says Danny, walking out of the office. "I'm sorry for caring so much."

They barely speak for the rest of the day, and although Danny tries to be professional about it he knows the rest of the team is picking up on the tension between them. Steve catches his eye and gives him a questioning look, but Danny just shakes his head to indicate that he doesn't want to talk about it.

He's sitting at his desk that afternoon when he gets a text message.

 _I'm sorry you were worried._

Danny glances across the hall at Kono's office but her blinds are drawn. He sighs, his anger dissipating, and hits the reply button on the phone.

 _I'm sorry I made you feel like a chihuahua._

He gets a reply a few seconds later. _I can think of a few ways you can make it up to me._

Danny smiles. _Do any of them involve hot make up sex on the dining room table?_

 _Depends. What'd you have in mind?_

Danny thinks for a minute before he says, _Whenever we get back to the apartment, I will remove every piece of your clothing one by one. I will kiss your boobs and then kiss my way dow--_ He runs out of letters and hits send.

He's halfway through the second half of the message when he gets a reply. _God, we really need to work on your sexting._

*****

Grace knows they're living together but she doesn't know Kono is pregnant yet, mostly because Danny doesn't know how to tell her, given how it worked out last time. He knows how confusing it was for her and he doesn't want to put her through it again, because if he's honest with himself, there's a part of him that's still waiting for this to fall apart the way it did with Rachel.

The first time Kono and Grace hung out together since they moved in together, Kono had seemed nervous, but after a couple of weekends together she'd grown visibly more comfortable and started suggesting things the three of them could do together during Grace's weekends with them.

"Oh, that was a good one!" says Kono, clapping her hands together. "One more, okay?"

They're at White Plains Beach, and Kono is teaching Grace how to paddle out and jump up onto her surfboard. First she'd drawn an outline of the surfboard in the sand, then she'd let her try it with the board itself. It reminds Danny of when Kono tried to teach him how to surf, except this time he allows himself to more fully appreciate how great she looks in that bikini.

"That was the best one yet," says Kono when Grace pops up onto the board. "I think you're ready to try it in the water. You want to?"

Grace nods enthusiastically. "Yeah."

Kono grins. "We'll practice together, okay? Just paddling out."

"Whoa," says Danny when Kono reaches for her own board. "Isn't this dangerous?"

"We'll just be paddling out a little ways," says Kono. "The waves are gentle, and it's not too crowded. It's a good time to practice."

"No, I mean for you," says Danny, nodding at her board. "Should you be..."

Kono rolls her eyes. "Danny, I've seen women surfing in their ninth month," she says, low enough that Grace can't hear. "I'll be fine."

Danny does not want to imagine Kono surfing when she's that far along. All he can think about is her wiping out, hard. "Just..." He sighs. "Be careful, okay?"

He expects her to be annoyed with the request, but she just looks at him, a smile tugging at her lips. "I will."

"And don't go out too far, please?" he says. "I'd prefer if neither of you got eaten by sharks."

"I won't let anything happen to _either_ of them," she promises.

"Or you," says Danny, catching her arm before she can get away. "Don't let anything happen to you either."

Kono surprises him by leaning over and kissing him full on the mouth. "We'll be back in a bit."

Danny lets go of her arm, and she grins at him and runs to catch up with Grace. He watches them paddle out together, both of them laughing when Grace gets splashed in the face by a wave, and tried not to think about exactly how much he has to lose.

*****

"Okay, seriously, it's to impress the ladies, isn't it?"

Chin looks up from his shotgun, which is spread out in pieces on the table in front of him. "How's that?"

"The gun," says Danny, gesturing with the rag in his hand. "It's okay, you can tell me, I won't judge. I'm man enough to admit that I get a little turned on by it myself, so I can imagine it must work wonders with women. That and the motorcycle."

Chin chuckles. "Well, I won't say that's why I use it, but it doesn't hurt," he says, and Danny snorts. "Kono used to make fun of me about it, said I was overcompensating for something."

Danny smirks down at the barrel of Kono's Kel-Tech and wipes the inside of the chamber with the rag, which turns black when he hits a corner. He takes the pick and starts chiseling at a chunk of carbon buildup.

"How's she doing?" says Chin.

"I feel like I should be asking you," says Danny. "You're the one watching her chase violent criminals all over Honolulu."

If Chin notices the edge to his voice, he politely ignores it. "Haven't had to chase anyone down in a while," he says, unscrewing the cap from a bottle of solvent. "I guess all the terrorists are on vacation. It's been a bit slow around here."

"Doesn't seem like she's having any problem keeping busy," Danny says, vaguely annoyed that Chin doesn't seem as concerned as he is. "Making trips down to the prison, interviewing convicted felons..."

Chin doesn't take the bait. "I'm watching out for her, Danny."

Danny shakes his head and wipes the chamber with the rag again. "I don't like that she's in the field at all."

"It's her decision," says Chin. "And once she's made her mind up, she won't back down."

"You should talk to her, she'll listen to you," says Danny, and Chin grins and shakes his head.

"Kono hasn't listened to me since she hit kindergarten."

Danny doesn't smile at that, if only because it's a blatant lie and they both know it, and Chin's expression softens.

"Look, I know you're worried. I am too. But Kono will be fine. She's stubborn but she's not stupid."

Danny sighs, and Chin picks up the barrel of his gun. "Have you got any plans this weekend?" says Chin. "Steve and I are going spear fishing if you want to come."

"You know, as tempting as that is, I can't. We're having dinner with Kono's parents."

Chin looks up, eyebrows raised. "Really?"

"Uh huh."

Chin's lips quirk up at the corners and he looks back down at the gun. "Good luck."

"What? What was that look?" says Danny. "'Good luck'? What does that even mean?"

Chin laughs. "Oh, you'll see."

*****

Both of Kono's parents are police officers. Her dad was a patrol cop until he retired with a leg injury a couple years previous, and her mom is a detective with narcotics and vice. Danny remembers her from when he worked homicide, but she doesn't share her daughter's last name so he didn't know she was Kono's mother until much later. Back then he only knew her as Detective Hei Sun, who could probably make you sterile if you made eye contact. He's starting to see where Kono gets it.

"Detective Sun," he says, shaking her hand.

She's a tiny woman, built like Kono, with short hair and a severe expression. She looks Danny up and down without shame and finally settles on his face.

"I remember you," she says. "You were Detective Hanamoa's old partner."

Danny nods, his stomach twisting. "Yes, ma'am."

She nods as if to show respect for his loss. "Come in," she says, stepping aside so he can walk into the house.

Dinner is awkward but not more so than he expected it would be. Kono's mother grills Danny about his family and his work history, although he gets the feeling she's already looked at his file and knows more than she's letting on. Kono's father is fairly quiet, asking a few questions here and there, but he's got a sharp, dry sense of humor and reminds Danny of his mom.

When they're done eating, Kono's mother says she wants to talk to Danny in private and takes him to the back porch and shuts the door behind them. She motions for Danny to take a seat in a deck chair while she sits opposite him on a wooden beach.

She cuts to the chase. "What are you going to do after the baby is born?"

"Uh." Danny smooths a hand over his hair. "We've talked but we aren't sure yet. We'll both take leave for a few weeks after the birth, and then one of us will probably stay home with the baby for a while until we can make other arrangements."

Ms. Sun looks at him. "Kono is a good cop."

Danny nods. "She is."

"She loves the job. That IA investigation was hard on her. She thought she'd never wear a badge again. She's already been through this before, when she injured her knee and couldn't surf." Her lips tighten but her eyes don't leave his. "I would hate to see it happen to her again."

"Ma'am, I won't let that happen," Danny says sincerely. "We will figure something out. She won't have to quit Five-0, not permanently."

Ms. Sun studies him for a long moment. "Kono will be good for you," she says finally. "She'll toughen you up."

"I--" Danny nods. "Okay."

The corners of her mouth twitch, and if Danny didn't know better he'd think she was smiling.

"They liked you," says Kono, buckling her seat belt when they get out to the car. "My father takes a while to warm up to people but he'll come around."

Danny laughs. "I'm not worried about your dad, babe, I'm more concerned about your mom. I don't think she likes me very much."

"Did she say that?" says Kono, looking over at him. "What'd she say when you talked after dinner?"

"No, she didn't say it directly, but the message was pretty clear. She said if you end up quitting the force to raise the baby, she'll cut off my balls and hang them from her rear view mirror." He pauses. "Okay, I'm paraphrasing but just a little."

"Don't worry, she'll be fine." Kono settles back in the seat, rubbing her stomach. "Ugh, I need to lie down when we get home."

"You nauseous? You want me to stop and get something?"

Kono leans the seat back and closes her eyes. "One of those smoothies? With the bananas? The kind you brought me last week. I've been wanting another one so badly."

"From Keilani's?" he says, and she just nods without opening her eyes. Keilani's is at least twenty minutes out of their way. Danny sighs.

"Sure, why not."

*****

"Do you know if it's going to be a boy or a girl?"

Danny smooths a dollop of sunscreen onto Grace's cheeks. "We don't know yet, Monkey. The doctor is going to be able to tell us real soon."

"I hope it's a girl," says Grace. "I wanted Joshua to be a girl."

The mention of Rachel and Stan's baby still stings but not as much as it used to. "I want the baby to be a girl too," says Danny. "Especially if she's as cute as you."

Grace grins, her nose wrinkling. Danny squeezes a few drops of lotion onto her arm. "Rub it in really good and don't miss any spots."

Grace does as she's told, and Danny glances over his shoulder at Kono, who is waiting in line at a shave ice cart several yard away. She's wearing a tiny tank top and even tinier shorts and she has her hair pulled back into a high ponytail. She's a little over four months along and starting to show, her belly rounder where it used to be flat.

"Hey, Monkey," says Danny, and Grace looks up. "How are you doing with all of this? With Kono and the baby? I know it's a lot, especially after your mom had Joshua."

"It's okay," says Grace. "I like babies."

"Yeah?" says Danny. "You're not scared? It's okay if you are. I'm kind of scared."

"You are?"

"Uh huh," says Danny, rubbing in a spot of lotion she missed. "New babies are cute but they're a lot of work. I want to make sure I'm the best dad I can be."

Grace looks thoughtful for a moment, digging the tip of her shoe into the sand. Danny brushes a strand of hair away from her face.

"What are you thinking about?"

Grace shrugs. "Am I still going to get to come see you after the baby comes?"

"Are you--" Danny tugs her forward and presses a kiss to her temple. "Baby, you'll always get to come see me, no matter what. I love you and I want to see you all the time. That's not going to change, okay? That could never change."

"I want to see you all the time too," Grace whispers.

Danny cups her face in his hands, and she squints down at him, the sun in her eyes. It seems impossible sometimes that there's enough room left to love someone else this much, but he remembers that first ultrasound, when he'd heard the baby's heart beating for the first time, and he knows it's not impossible at all.

"We're going to see each other just as much as we do now, okay?" says Danny, and Grace nods. "Because Kono and I are going to need your help."

"You will?"

"Uh huh," says Danny. "We'll need someone to read books to the baby and play stuffed animals. You are such a good reader, I know you'll be so good at it. Do you think you could do that?"

Grace nods solemnly.

"Thank you," says Danny, and kisses her forehead. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Kono standing a few yard away holding their shave ices, and he nods at her.

"Here's strawberry for you, Grace," says Kono. She gives Danny a cone with purple and orange shave ice.

"What do you want to do now, baby?" says Danny. "It's your choice. We'll do whatever you want."

Grace thinks about it carefully as she eats her shave ice. "We should go to the book store," she decides finally.

Kono looks surprised, but Danny just smiles and settles his hand on the crown of Grace's head.

"The bookstore it is."

*****

Danny walks into headquarters one afternoon to find Steve alone at the computer table sifting through mugshots.

"Yo," says Danny, and Steve nods without looking up. "HPD's finished processing the scene. They're going to bring over the vic's computer in a bit so Chin can look at it." He looks around. "Where's Kono?"

"She's with Chin, interviewing Takashi."

"What?" says Danny, a little louder than he meant to. "Why couldn't Chin do it alone?"

Steve looks up. "They're partners, Danny. Partners interview people together. Surely you understand how this works by now."

"I understand perfectly, jackass. What I don't understand is why she has to go out at all. We haven't ruled him out as a suspect. What if he pulls something on her, huh?"

"She's not alone, she's with Chin," says Steve, turning back to the computer monitor. "Besides, I wouldn't bet against her right hook."

Danny glares at him. "Is this funny to you?"

"No. Well, maybe a little."

"This is the mother of my unborn child," says Danny, gesturing wildly. "What if she gets shot out there or something?"

"Danny, she could get shot walking down the street."

Danny just looks at him. "I'm sorry, is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Steve sighs, exasperated. "I'm just saying that what she's doing isn't that much more dangerous than anything else. She wanted to go. Until she is incapable of doing her job, I'm not going to stop her."

Danny crosses his arms over his chest. "So I get sidelined because of a busted knee, and you're sending her off to tangle with known criminals when she's five months pregnant?"

Steve rolls his eyes. "You couldn't even _walk_."

"I could walk just fine."

"You're right, I just didn't want to hear you bitch about it," says Steve, flipping to the next mugshot. Danny glares at the back of his head.

Lori comes in about half an hour later from interviewing the victim's brother, and Chin and Kono are right on her heels.

"Takashi is definitely not our guy," says Chin before Danny can open his mouth. "He was at a bar several blocks from the victim's house. We checked the surveillance video at the bar and it checks out. He was there for two hours, including our time frame for the murder."

Steve nods. "Okay. Lori, what'd you get from the brother?"

Danny walks over to Kono and whispers, "You okay?"

Kono glances over at him. "Yeah, why?"

"You look tired."

Kono frowns. "I'm not tired, I'm fine."

"You should sit down," says Danny, pulling up a chair. Lori, Chin, and Steve have stopped talking and are watching them.

Kono glances at the chair but doesn't sit. "I'm fine, I want to stand."

"It can't possibly be comfortable. You've been standing for--"

"I said I don't want to sit," Kono says through clenched teeth.

"Okay, okay," he says, resting a hand on her shoulder. She shrugs him off and steps away. Danny puts his hands on his hips and sighs.

When they're done, Kono walks back into her office without a word. Danny groans and leans against the computer table.

"I don't understand," he says. "Kamekona can hang all over her and she's fine, but I touch her on the shoulder and I can feel her skin crawling."

"Hormones," says Chin.

"Or maybe it's just you," Steve says.

"Yeah, or maybe I'll bust in your teeth," says Danny. "You're enjoying this way too much."

"A little," Steve admits. "I don't know how she does it, to be honest. I would have killed you a long time ago."

"Asshole," Danny mutters, and walks back to his office.

At the end of the day, Danny goes into Kono's office to talk to her. She's shutting down her computer when he knocks on the door frame.

"I, uh..." He shoves his hands in his pockets, and she looks up warily. "I'm sorry for earlier, for trying to make you sit down. I just thought your back might be hurting."

"My back was fine," says Kono. "It _is_ fine."

Danny nods. "I just didn't want you to feel like you had to act tough in front of all of us."

"I don't have to _act_ tough?" says Kono, anger clouding her features.

Danny sighs. "That's not what I meant."

Kono shakes her head. "I don't need you treating me like a porcelain doll, Danny, especially not at work. Everyone's already hesitant to ask me to do anything, like I'll break at any moment. Chin talks to me like I'm a child who needs to be protected from herself. So the last thing I need is for you to be constantly reminding everyone that I'm pregnant and need to be treated differently. It's embarrassing."

"It's not _embarrassing_ ," says Danny. "It's not a reflection on how strong you are as a person. No one wants to see you get hurt, least of all me. And it's not just you I'm worried about."

Kono freezes. "You think I don't care about the baby?"

"I _know_ you care about the baby," says Danny, "but I think you're worried about the team thinking you're weak and you push yourself too hard sometimes."

Something flickers in Kono's eyes, but Danny can't tell if it's anger or hurt. She grabs her gym bag off the floor. "I'm going to the gym for kick boxing. I'll be home later."

"Are you sure you--" Danny stops when Kono looks up sharply. "Okay, I'll see you later."

"She okay?" says Steve when Danny walks back out into the hallway.

"Uh, no," says Danny. "She says I treat her like a porcelain doll. And if you make fun of me about it again I'll punch you in the nuts, okay? I'm not in the mood right now."

Steve nods. "You okay?"

Danny scrubs a hand over his face. "You know, I think this whole pregnancy has been more stressful for me than it has been for her. I thought I was worried when Rachel was pregnant with Grace? Rachel wasn't going to work every day arresting criminals who keep knives in their boots and nine-millimeters in their glove compartments." He looks up at Steve.

"I'm not going to bench her because you ask," says Steve, but it's not an admonishment.

"I know," says Danny, looking away. "That's why I'm not asking."

Steve claps Danny on the back. "Come on, let's go to Ilani's. Beers on me."

Danny sighs. "Yeah, okay."

*****

The next few weeks are a blur.

Ever since they found out the sex of the baby, Grace has been begging them to let her go shopping with them so she can help pick out every pink article of clothing an infant could ever need. She's also been texting him baby name suggestions a couple times a week. He politely vetoed Miley, Selena, and Sharpay.

He stays at the office late one night trying to finish up paperwork he's been putting off, and when he gets home he finds the kitchen a mess, Chinese take-out boxes strewn all over the counter. Kono is in the living room watching television, wearing one of his dress shirts.

"Hey," he says, loosening his tie and throwing it over the arm of the couch.

"Hey. Did you get everything finished?"

"Most of it. I'll do the rest tomorrow." Danny walks over to her, rolling up his sleeves. "You forget to do laundry again?"

Kono looks down at the shirt she's wearing. "Your shirts fit better than mine do these days."

Danny sinks down in front of her chair. "Yeah, well, you look better in them than I do anyway." He runs his hands up her thighs, and she smirks and uncrosses her legs.

"What, your underwear doesn't fit either?" says Danny, arching his eyebrows at her. "Not that I'm complaining because I'm definitely not."

"Too hot."

"Mmmhmm," says Danny, unbuttoning the shirt. She's nearly six months along now, and her stomach is round and firm to the touch. He runs his hands along her hips and up under her breasts, stopping for a moment to appreciate her like this.

"What?"

"Oh, I don't think you even realize," says Danny, leaning forward to kiss her stomach.

Kono rolls her eyes. "Don't tell me it's some caveman thing, that seeing me pregnant with your baby lights this primordial fire in your loins."

"I don't know what you just said but it sounded really hot."

Kono rests her hand on the top of his head when he bends down to nuzzle between her legs. "God, I've been so horny all day."

Danny groans against her thigh, pushing his hand under one of her knees to give him better access. "You and me both."

"I've been waiting all night for you to get home so you could lick me out. I've already masturbated twice."

"You are seriously trying to kill me."

Kono threads her fingers through his hair, arching into him as he pushes his tongue inside of her, gently. "I wish I could use my vibrator but-- _ah_. I'm so sensitive it's too much."

"Maybe we could make a mold of my tongue and you can keep that in the nightstand."

"You did not just say that."

"Please don't roll your eyes at me while I'm going down on you. It makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong."

She tugs at his hair impatiently and he drags his tongue over her clit a few times before she comes with a loud groan, her head thrown back against the couch cushion. He licks her through it until she's shaking and whimpering, pushing his head away.

"God, I love the second trimester," says Danny. "It's such an ego boost."

She sinks back into the couch, spent. "I want you to do that again but not right now."

"I'll do it however many times you want," says Danny, "just let me get a pillow or something because my knees are killing me. Between you and Steve, I'm going to need a knee replacement before I'm forty."

"Please don't talk about Steve after sex. It makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong."

Danny stands up and presses a kiss to her forehead. "I'm gonna go put the food away. I'll be right back."

"Bring me back an eggroll!" Kono calls after him.

*****

One of Kono's friends from the Coral Prince surf team throws her a shower and invites everyone Kono has ever met, including all of Five-0, her extended family, and all of her ex-boyfriends. Thankfully, only one of the exes shows.

"He was glowering at me the entire time," says Danny, after everyone has left. Kono's parents stayed after for a long time to help clean up, but finally Kono sent them home. Grace is still in the living room looking at all of the presents.

"He wasn't glowering," says Kono, passing Danny a container of salsa to put into the refrigerator. "He's just a really intense guy. That's how he always looks."

"No, he was definitely glowering," says Danny. "And definitely at me. I think he wishes it was his baby in there."

Kono laughs. "Oh ho, he _definitely_ doesn't wish that, trust me."

"Yeah?" says Danny. "That why you broke up with him?"

"No, that's one reason I started _dating_ him," says Kono. "He didn't want kids, didn't want to get married, and that was just fine with me."

"Huh," says Danny, considering this. "Well, I can see why you started dating me then. I mean, he and I, we're practically the same person."

Kono gives him a sideways look. "That was a long time ago. I was nineteen."

"Hmmm."

Kono arches her eyebrows at him. "Wanna know why I broke up with him?"

"Is that a trick question?"

Kono leans forward and whispers, "He wasn't very good with his tongue."

"Oh," says Danny. " _Oh_."

"I mean, there were other reasons," she says, "but that was a pretty big one. Especially since we were pretty much using each other for sex."

"Yeah, I can see where that would be a deal breaker."

Kono leans over to kiss his cheek. "You don't have anything to worry about," she whispers into his ear.

Danny shouldn't feel smug about this but he definitely does. "Well, I guess that's good to hear," he says, following her into the living room. Grace looks up from the stuffed teddy bear in her lap.

"I'm glad everybody got to come," says Kono, sitting the couch next to Grace. "I didn't think Steve was going to stay the whole time."

"Yeah, well, he spent half of the shower sitting in the corner eating nachos and still managed to get four women's phone numbers," Danny says, flipping one of Grace's pigtails over her shoulder. Grace giggles and swats his hand away. "I think one of them was your aunt."

"She'll show him a good time," Kono says, wincing. "God, my back. Danny, I might need you to give me a massage later."

"Okay."

Grace looks worried. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Kono tells her. "My back is just sore sometimes because the baby is heavy."

"My mom's back hurt when she was pregnant with Joshua," says Grace. "She got a bag of rice and put it in the microwave, and then she put that on her back and it made her feel better."

Danny looks over at Kono apologetically, but Kono just smiles at Grace. "That's a really good idea. I'll have to try that later." She nods at the presents still in bags next to Grace's feet. "Can you show me the blanket again?"

Grace had picked out a soft blanket for the baby, pale peach with little rabbits in the corners. She pulls it out of the gift bag and opens it up for Kono to see it better. Grace points out all of the details and the different colors of stitching, and Kono tells her how beautiful it is. She looks tired but happy.

Danny goes into the kitchen to make a couple of phone calls and finish cleaning up, and when he comes back into the living room Kono is asleep on the couch with the blanket spread over her stomach.

Grace looks up from playing with her phone. "I didn't want the baby to get cold," she whispers when Danny gets closer.

Danny bends over and kisses the top of her head. "Thanks, Monkey."

*****

Kono is nearly six and a half months along when Steve calls her into his office one morning. They talk for about fifteen minutes, and when Kono comes out she looks upset but not angry. Danny follows her into her office and shuts the door.

"Everything okay?" he says, resisting the urge to rub her back.

Kono sighs. "We talked. He's pulling me from the field starting today."

Danny tries not to let his relief show on his face. "What does that mean?"

"It means no more active fieldwork where there's any real chance that I'll have to fire a weapon or engage in physical combat. No more interviewing suspects. I'll still be with Chin to interview family members, but after a couple of weeks I'll probably stay back at headquarters full-time to run information."

Danny nods. She's already been sitting out during raids, especially when there are drugs involved and they aren't sure about exposure to chemicals in the building. Chin has taken over the arresting and handling of suspects, but Kono has still been way more active than Danny would like. The knowledge that Chin has been there to back her up has not been much comfort.

"How do you feel about that?" Danny says carefully.

Kono shrugs. "I knew it would happen eventually."

There are a lot of things Danny wants to say, but most of them are some variation on 'it's for the best' so he doesn't say any of them, knowing it'll just make her feel worse. She's wearing a loose-fitting grey top, the kind she's been wearing every day for months now, and it'd be hard to tell she's pregnant if he didn't already know. He wonders sometimes if she's more comfortable that way or if she just doesn't want to remind the team that she's pregnant. He watches her as she leans back in her chair, hands spreading over her belly, and feels a rush of affection so strong it's all he can do not to fold her up into his arms and bury his face in her hair.

"I should call the lab to see what's taking so long," says Kono, sitting up straighter in her chair. "We should have had that trace evidence back by now."

Danny watches her pick up the phone then shoves his hands into his pockets and goes back into his office.

Kono is mostly quiet throughout the day, and when they get home Danny makes spaghetti and they watch television until Kono says she's tired. Danny cleans up in the kitchen and replies to a few personal emails before he goes into the bedroom.

Kono's eyes open when the bed dips. "Sorry," he whispers, pulling the sheet back over her.

Kono just looks at him, the muted light from the window casting shadows on her face. Danny can hear her shallow breathing over the sound of the ceiling fan. He reaches over and brushes a strand of hair out of her face but her eyes never leave his.

There are so many things Danny wants to say to her, words he's been choking on for months, and even now they're stuck to the back of his throat. She's wearing a Newark PD t-shirt, faded and stretched thin with age, and he slides a hand up under it, his fingers tracing her spine as she leans forward and kisses him. The press of her lips is soft, almost tentative, her palm pressed flat against his chest, but then she slides her tongue against the roof of his mouth and Danny gets lost in the taste of her.

She has a pillow between her legs for support, and he removes it and hooks her leg over his hip, settling himself between her thighs. He kisses down her jaw and along her throat as he enters her, her breath hitching right against his ear. They move together quietly, his thrusts slow and shallow, and she's silent when she comes, Danny murmuring endearments against the hollow of her throat.

*****

"And she snores, Jesus. It sounds like my father after a few scotch and sodas."

He's on Steve's couch, eating pizza and watching football. Steve sits down next to him and hands him a beer.

"Is she having any more, like, weird cravings or anything?" Steve asks.

"Not really," says Danny, picking a piece of sausage off his pizza. "She still makes me go to Keilani's for a banana smoothie at least three times a week. I spend more money on gas than actual food."

"How's she doing otherwise?"

"Fine. Tired a lot, mostly." Danny smiles. "She, uh...she ordered me a baby bib online."

"A bib?"

"Yeah, with the Yankees logo on it. And a little matching onesie. It's got, like--" He motions vaguely. "--piping or whatever, on the sides. And the logo in the middle."

"Huh," says Steve, and Danny looks over to see Steve watching him with that same fond expression he was wearing when Danny told him Kono was pregnant.

"What?" Danny snaps, and Steve just laughs.

"Nothing," he says, picking up his beer. "I was just thinking that you look happy."

Danny frowns and mutters, "I'm always happy."

"Happier than normal."

Danny picks at the label of his beer.

"You just..." Steve shrugs. "You know, I'm glad. I know things were tough for a while."

The words _since Rachel_ hang in the air between them, and it's a twist in the gut although not for the reason it would have been a year ago. Because Danny _is_ happy, but he knows from experience that when he's happiest is when everything falls apart, and he's not sure he can take that again.

"Hey," says Steve, nudging him in the side.

"Elbow me again and I will break your arm."

Steve takes a bite of his pizza. "You know, I got you a present for the baby, too."

"You already gave us a present at the shower."

"This is something else, something special."

Danny rolls his eyes. "Please tell me Guns and Ammo does not have an infant section."

"They've got the cutest little thigh holsters, they're so tiny--"

"I am never letting you near this child."

*****

"It says you're supposed to feed the baby every two hours."

Danny glances up from the television. Kono is sitting next to him on the couch reading _What to Expect When You're Expecting_ , one leg tucked her her knee.

"Uh huh," says Danny.

Kono looks up, horrified. "Are they serious? What if she's asleep? Are we supposed to wake her up?"

"Noooo," says Danny. "If the baby is asleep, you pray to whatever god you believe in and you say thank you and you _let it sleep_. Never wake a sleeping baby."

Kono looks relieved at this, but only slightly. "Is she going to wake up every two hours?"

"Maybe," says Danny. "Depends on the baby. Sometimes babies will wake up every hour, or maybe even more often. Could be teething, or hungry, or even constipated. Or sometimes they sleep through the night. Grace usually slept through the night, thank god."

Kono's expression flickers. "Oh," she says, looking back down at her book. Danny changes the channel to check on the score of the Jets game.

"It says solid food starting at four to six months," Kono says a few minutes later, squinting down at the page. "Start with rice cereal and slowly add in other things one at a time."

"That's so you can tell if they're allergic to something," says Danny, and Kono huffs like it's the stupidest thing she's ever heard. "You also have to be really careful about how much you give the baby. I remember Grace loved strawberries, but one time we gave her too much and she had diarrhea and diaper rash, and it was awful." He looks up at Kono. "What?"

Kono looks disgusted, like he just told her they used to feed Grace pig's blood for breakfast every morning. "God, you're such an expert, why don't _you_ just write a book."

Okay, Danny knows he's stepped on a landmine but he's not sure which one. "I'm not an expert," he says carefully. "I've just been through this before so I know what to expect."

"Wow, have you really been through this before?" says Kono, sarcasm dripping heavily from her words. "Why didn't you say something earlier? I could have saved myself the trouble trying to read about this."

"Kono." Danny reaches over to touch her shoulder but she shrugs him off. "Are you upset that I know more about babies than you do? Babe, that doesn't matter. You're going to be a great mom."

Kono shakes her head and closes the book. "Never mind, I'm going to bed." She drops the book on the coffee table and quickly walks into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Danny sits on the couch for a long time, working through the conversation again, and when he finally realizes...fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.

Kono is curled up on her side of the bed hugging her body pillow, and when he comes in she doesn't turn over, doesn't even move. He slips under the sheets and scoots close enough that he can talk but isn't touching her.

"I'm a schmuck, I'm sorry," he says. Kono sucks in a deep breath, and immediately Danny can tell she's been crying. "Baby, I'm _so_ sorry. I didn't mean to talk about Grace so much. It was stupid. I wasn't thinking."

Kono makes a little sound like she's trying to choke back a sob. "You wish it was someone else."

Danny blinks, trying to figure out what she's talking about, and when he does he can't help it, he presses himself against her back and wraps his arms around her. She doesn't push him away.

"You're so beautiful," he says, rubbing his hand over her belly gently. "And smart and tough and amazing. You're going to be such a great mom, and every time I look at you I know I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I don't want anyone else having my baby but you. Just you."

Kono sobs for real this time, and Danny doesn't say anything else, just smooths her hair away from her face and presses his face against the back of her neck as she cries. After a while, her sobs turn into hiccups and her breathing evens out and he realizes she's fallen asleep. He presses a kiss to the knob of her spine and closes his eyes.

*****

A few days later, Danny and Steve are pulling into the parking lot at headquarters when Duke calls from HPD, informing him that there was an 'incident' at Five-0 headquarters and someone broke in disguised as a cop. Danny doesn't even bother finding a parking spot, just slams on the brakes in front of the building and leaves Steve to park of the car, taking the stairs two at a time up to their floor.

He rushes into the office just as a couple of officers are leading out a guy wearing a police uniform and handcuffs, blood drying below his nose and at the edges of his mouth. Kono is standing in the middle of the room talking to Chin, who is holding an icepack. There's a bruise forming on one side of Kono's face, and for a moment Danny's vision goes dark and hazy around the corners. He scoops her into his arms without a word.

"Hey," says Kono, choking on a sob, and Danny can't say anything for a long time, just buries his face in her hair, one hand rubbing the side of her stomach.

"Are you okay?" he says finally, pulling away too look at her. "Did he--"

"It's fine, it was just the one hit."

He skims his fingers over the bruise, and she stands there as he fusses over her. Her knuckles are a little bruised but otherwise she looks okay. When he finally finishes checking her over, he looks up to see that she's agitated, and maybe not for the reason he would have thought.

"What's wrong?"

Kono huffs and looks away. "I'm a little frustrated."

"Yeah, I can tell," says Danny.

"I hate sitting behind a desk all day," she says. "Is this what it's going to be like from now on? Me running license plates while everyone else chases down suspects?"

"What? Babe, no, why would you think that? After the baby comes, you can shoot whoever you want. I'll line 'em up for you myself and you take 'em down one by one, just like we're at a carnival. I'll even buy you a stuffed animal if you get them all."

Kono looks unconvinced. Steve walks over and puts a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

Kono nods.

"He's going to have a pretty bad headache in the morning," says Chin.

Kono snorts. "He was wearing a uniform but I could tell something was off. He looked really nervous. I don't think he was expecting anyone to be here."

"Yeah, I definitely don't think he was expecting that," Steve agrees. "They ran his prints. It looks like he has ties to the Yakuza. He was probably here to see what we have on them."

"Okay, that's it," says Danny, holding up his hands. "I'm not leaving you here alone again."

"What?" Kono looks up. "I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, this time, but maybe next time they'll send two guys, huh? Or a dozen."

"I should have had my gun on me," says Kono, clenching her jaw. "I took the holster off for just a minute because it was heavy and my hips were hurting. It was stupid."

"We'll get you a better holster," Steve tells her gently.

"No, we won't get her a better anything," says Danny. "You shouldn't be shooting a gun anyway. It was stupid for me to even let you be here by yourself."

"Oh, for you to _let_ me?" says Kono, pulling her arm away from him. "Should I be grateful that you've even _let_ me out of the house?"

Danny shakes his head. "You're seven months pregnant. I'm trying to _protect_ you."

"I don't need you to protect me, Danny!" she says, fire in her eyes.

"Cuz, he's right," says Chin. "Until we know what he was after, it's not safe. I'll stay here with you, or Danny can. We can take turns."

"What, like _babysitting_?" says Kono, and her voice is angry but Danny can see the hurt in her expression. She shakes her head and pushes past him. "Yeah, no thanks."

"Shit," Danny mutters when she disappears through the glass doors. He wants to go after her but his body is still throbbing with fury and adrenaline and he knows if he tries to talk to her now he'll only push her away even further. He looks around for a wall to punch but sees only glass.

Chin sighs. "She'll come around. She'll be fine."

"'She'll be fine'?" Danny echoes, ready to let loose some of that rage in Chin's direction. "You keep saying that but look what happened! Where were _you_ this afternoon, huh?"

Chin's expression hardens immediately. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"What do you _think_ it means?" says Danny. "You're her partner! Why weren't you with her?"

" _Danny_ ," Steve says sharply, and Danny looks over at him. Steve's frowning at him, his mouth set in a straight line. Danny sighs, some of the anger leaking out of his body, and looks away.

"Sorry," Danny mutters, not looking at Chin. The word tastes bitter coming out of his mouth. Chin nods curtly.

"I went to get that surveillance footage from the pawn shop," Chin says. "I should have waited until you or Lori got back."

"You did exactly what I asked you to do," says Steve. "It's no one's fault so stop blaming yourselves."

Danny still wants to punch something but he decides he can wait a few hours until he can interview the thug in the cop costume.

"I should go find her," he says, and Steve fishes Danny's keys out of his pocket and hands them over. He's trying to think of where she'd go - not back to the apartment. The beach, probably, but which one? He knows she's got a favorite surfing spot but he can't remember where it is.

"Diamond Head Beach," says Chin, and Danny looks up. "She used to go at least once a week, said it cleared her head. Good surf spot and it's not too crowded."

Danny exhales. "Thanks," he says, and Chin nods.

*****

He drives out to Diamond Head and parks right on the edge of the beach. It's been cold and windy all week, and the beach isn't very crowded. He walks down the path until he sees Kono standing in the sand a few yards from the edge of the water, her feet bare and her arms wrapped around herself. She doesn't look at him when he walks up beside her.

"Hey."

"Hey," she says quietly, hugging herself tighter.

He's been practicing his speech the whole ride over, but when it comes down to it all he says is, "I'm really sorry."

Kono swallows.

"Fuck, Kono," he says, a little broken, "I worry so much. I look at you and every protective instinct I've ever had is magnified times a million, and then to walk into that room and see you there like that, and someone came in and they could have--" He breaks off and looks out at the water.

They stand in silence for a long time watching the waves break against the shore before he says, "I didn't mean to tell you what to do. Lord knows I couldn't stop you from working even if I wanted to, but I don't really want to. I just want you to be happy, whatever you decide."

Kono shakes her head. "Doesn't matter anyway."

Danny looks at her and he knows that this is it, this is where she tells him she doesn't really want to be with him. And it hurts because maybe they wouldn't have gotten to this place without the baby, but they're here now and he doesn't regret any of it.

"Why?" he says.

Her jaw quivers. "All I do is run fingerprints while everyone else runs around and does the real work."

"That's not the real work and you know it."

"It's like this already," she says, shaking her head. "What about after the baby comes?"

"After the baby comes, you'll rest for a while and then you'll be back to work. That's not going to change."

"One of us has to stay with her," says Kono, like she's frustrated he doesn't get it.

"So _I'll_ stay home," says Danny. "Or I'll make Steve build a fucking nursery at headquarters, I don't care. You're not quitting the team."

Kono wipes her eyes. "You can't quit. You're the boss's partner."

Danny scoffs. "So? Lori can work with Steve for a while. I know she's been looking for a place to shove those four inch heels of hers, and after all this time I can't deny the woman the pleasure."

Kono pulls her sweater tighter over her chest, and Danny loves her so much it hurts. "Baby, this isn't like your knee," he says. "You're going to be a cop for a long time."

Kono sobs from somewhere deep in her chest, and Danny reaches over and draws her in close, one hand in her hair, her head tucked into the crook of his neck.

"I hate this," she says miserably.

"I know you do."

"I feel useless."

"You're not."

"You guys don't need me."

" _I_ need you."

"You don't count."

Danny presses his lips to the shell of her ear. They stand there like that for a long time before Kono finally sighs, hot and sticky against his throat.

"I'm serious," he says. "I can't do this without you."

Kono huffs. "I know."

"I don't think you do. Steve's already offered to babysit, and if that isn't the most terrifying thing I've ever heard, I don't know what is."

Kono lets out a choked, snotty laugh against his neck, her fingers curling into his shirt. "I don't know, didn't your mother say she was coming next month?"

Danny pulls away, cups her face in his hands, and kisses her on the mouth.

"I'm tired," she says, leaning her forehead against his. "So tired. I could just sleep right here."

He helps her back to the car, and when she gets into the passenger seat next to him, she leans back against the headrest and smiles up at him, her eyes hooded with exhaustion.

"It's not just the oral sex," she says.

Danny looks over at her. "Pardon?"

"Why I keep you around." She looks at him, her expression fond. "It's not just because of the sex."

Something warm settles in Danny's chest. "Oh, I know that," he says.

"You do?"

"Of course. I give a pretty mean foot massage too."

Kono groans softly, her eyes fluttering closed. "Yeah, you do."

*****

Two months later, Danny is doing paperwork in his office when Kono appears in the doorway, one hand resting on her stomach.

"Is everything okay?" says Danny, jumping up from his chair so fast he knocks over his pencil cup. "Are you--"

" _No_ , Danny." Kono rolls her eyes. "We got the ballistics report back. I just sent it to your phone."

Danny takes a deep breath, willing his heart rate to get back to normal. "Okay, thanks."

"We should rent a movie tonight," she says, levering herself into the chair on the other side of his desk. He starts to help her, but she waves him off.

"We have movies," says Danny, and Kono just looks at him.

"Do you know how many times I've sat through _Field of Dreams_?"

"That's a classic," says Danny.

"I hate all of your movies."

"So we'll watch that thing Steve bought you, that British miniseries, what's its name." Danny snaps his fingers.

"Pride and Prejudice?" Kono scrunches up her nose. "It's six hours long."

"Oh," says Danny. Yeah, no. "Okay, We can stop and get something good on the way home. Something with lots of explosions."

"No baseball."

"No sports of _any_ kind," he promises.

Kono sits up as straight in her chair as she can manage. "And when we get home, I want to have sex."

"Uh...okay," says Danny. "I think that can probably be arranged."

"I am _so_ over being pregnant, you have no idea," says Kono. "They say orgasms and nipple stimulation will induce labor."

"Um, I can come back," says Steve, stopping short in the doorway.

Kono winces. "We got the ballistics report. I sent it to your phone."

"Thanks, I got it," says Steve. "Max took some photos of the tattoo on our dead shooter. Looks like a gang tat. You want to run them through the database?"

"Sure," says Kono, and lets Steve help her up from the chair. Danny glares at him as she leaves.

"She lets you help her but not me. Why am I even surprised anymore."

Steve shrugs. Danny's about to say something else when he hears someone out in the hallway say, "It's my favorite pregnant lady!"

"How many pregnant ladies do you know?" Danny calls out.

Kamekona releases Kono from a hug and lets her go to the computer table. He walks into Danny's office. "Hey, I know lots of pregnant ladies."

Steve raises an eyebrow and Kamekona sighs. "Okay, she is the only one, but she would still be my favorite. She's the only one who gets free shave ice."

"And Grace," Danny points out. "I, on the other hand, still have to pay."

"Well, that's 'cause they're cuter than you," says Kamekona.

"He has a point," says Steve, and Danny frowns at him.

"Okay okay," says Kamekona, reaching into his pocket. "How about I give you a coupon?"

Danny looks at the piece of paper Kamekona hands him. "'Buy one shave ice, get two free'." He looks up. "Are you serious?"

"What? That's a good deal!" says Kamekona.

"But I'm already getting two free!"

"I'll take it," says Steve, snatching it out of his hand.

Lori rushes into the office. "Uh, guys? I think Kono's water just broke."

Danny's stomach lurches. "What?"

Kono appears next to Lori in the doorway, flanked by Chin. She looks at Danny, one hand pressed against her stomach, and Danny's brain goes a little fuzzy for a second.

"Fuck," says Danny. He looks around his desk helplessly, thinking there's something he needs to get, but his blood is pumping so hard in his ears that it's drowning out everything else.

"Car keys," Steve says helpfully. "Where did you put them?"

"I, uh..." Danny pats his pockets. "I had them earlier. Fuck, I had them, where are they!"

"Sit down for a minute," Chin tells Kono, leading her to the chair opposite Danny's desk. Kamekona looks stunned.

"I have some ice in my car," he says. Chin and Lori give him questioning looks. "Don't pregnant ladies need ice?"

"I don't need ice, I need a _hospital_ ," says Kono.

"Where are my fucking keys?" Danny says, flipping over stacks of paperwork on his desk. He looks up at Steve. "Are you sure you don't have them?"

Steve shakes his head. "No, but I have my truck. I can drive."

"No!" Danny and Kono exclaim at the same time.

"I've got Malia's Suburban," says Chin. " _I'll_ drive."

Danny refuses to let her take the elevator, imagining that with his luck they'd end up getting stuck in there and Steve would have to deliver the baby using forceps fashioned out of belt clips and ceiling tiles. They take the main staircase to the lobby, but the building is bustling with people and it's taking forever, so in the end Steve just scoops her up and carries her the rest of the way down.

"Yeah, don't mind me," Danny calls after him. "I'm just the father of the child. It's fine."

"Stay there and I'll come back for you next, Danny!" Steve calls over his shoulder.

"That's not what I--" Danny rolls his eyes. "I hate you so much."

As Chin drives them all to the hospital, Danny tries to talk Kono through another set of contractions but his heart is beating so fast he loses count several times, and finally Lori takes over, holding Kono's hand and talking her through it.

When they get to the hospital, Danny checks in with the front desk and Chin finds her a wheelchair.

"I'm going to call your parents," says Chin, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she nods.

Danny stops to talk to a nurse, and another nurse starts wheeling Kono away.

"Danny!" Kono exclaims, panicked.

Danny rushes over and takes the handles of the wheelchair. "It's okay, I'm here." His hand fumbles for hers, and she squeezes it tightly.

"Don't leave."

Danny drops a kiss onto the top of her head. "I'm not going anywhere."


End file.
